Too Many to Name

Monday, November 30, 2009
Lemon Drop

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Journalist Martini

Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Kyoto

Thursday, December 3, 2009
Knickerbocker

OH NO. I’ve run out of gin, and almost everything I have on my current list is made with gin. I had to skip ahead Monday night a bit to find one made with vodka and came upon the Lemon Drop. My husband makes a dynamite lemon drop martini (makes the tastebuds pucker just thinking about it!), so there was a lot to live up to in this case, but I will get to that later.

This Lemon Drop was made with 6 parts lemon-flavored vodka, 1 part dry vermouth, granulated sugar and a lemon twist. The granulated sugar is a rim adornment, and it is needed in this recipe, so do not skip it. This was still too bitter for me, I think it was due to the lemon-flavored vodka. My husband’s recipe is vodka, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup and a dash of triple sec. I like the sugar in the drink itself, not just around the rim. He makes it to taste, so giving actual quantities really does not help. Simple syrup makes up for sooooo much! We make it with equal parts finely granulated sugar and water, heat it, stirring constantly so it does not start to carmelize or burn.

I made sure to get a fresh bottle of gin, so we were good to go on Tuesday night with the rest of the drinks, not all at once, of course. Tuesday night I had the Journalist Martini (no idea how this got its name): 6 parts gin, 1 teaspoon each of dry and sweet vermouth, 1 teaspoon triple sec, 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice and 1 dash of Angostura bitters. I liked this one, it had a lot of ingredient compared to the other recipes in this book, but it was a drink which was pleasing and mild enough for a week night. I liked the fact that the vermouths and the bitters were not overpowering; the flavors were balanced in this drink. Any bitterness or sourness from the lime was balanced by the sweet vermouth.

For hump day (Wednesday), I made the Kyoto: 6 parts gin, 2 parts melon liqueur (we used Midori since that is what we had on hand), 1 part dry vermouth and 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. The garnish called for was a melon ball, but the pantry was bare of this. It may have made a difference, I will have to try again with the melon ball at a later date; it would have added a touch of sweetness I think. As it was despite the lovely green color, this cocktail had a slight medicinal aftertaste. As I said, I would give it another try to be fair. I am not sure how this could be fixed as I think the medicinal taste must come from the Midori, which is intrinsic to the drink, so we did not bother to try and fix this one. Didn’t have time anyway, as my children decided to both have major meltdowns and I joined right in with them. The boy because he didn’t want to do his reading homework and the (teenage) girl because she didn’t want to finish a high school application. Arrrrrrgh. Maybe I should have had another drink and this would not have bothered me so much.

What a difference a loaded ice cream sundae can make. We spent Thursday evening at my daughter’s winter concert (she plays the flute). She wanted to go to Fenton’s (local ice cream parlor) afterwards, but it was late and someone hadn’t done her homework. So, I bribed both kids: I would make ice cream sundaes if she completed not only her minimal homework, but also her high school application and my son did all his reading. HAH! No, I am not above bribery, especially when it works. While the kids were having their ice cream treats (fudge brownie and chocolate chip cookie dough ice creams with fudge sauce, Oreo cookie crumbs and whipped cream), my husband and I had the Knickerbocker. This was 6 parts gin, 2 parts dry vermouth, and 1/2 teaspoon sweet vermouth with a lemon twist. This drink was fine the way it was, no need to adjust anything. It was a solid drink, again, balanced and good for a weeknight.